Overtaken - a BFB/II2 fanfic (very slow updates)

Bozo Brain

"Wait," Cheesy wheezed, slowing to a stop after a few minutes of everyone sprinting at top speed. "Wait, wait... I need... a break."

"But we have to catch-"

Tennis Ball rested a mechanical hand on Test Tube's shoulder. "I want to catch up to Golf Ball as much as you do. But trust me when I say this place is like a maze sometimes. If we don't know where she is, there's no point in just running in a straight line; let's catch our breaths first."

Slowly, Test Tube came to a halt and sighed. "Yeah... yeah, you're right."

The others either stopped normally, leaned against something, or just straight-up collapsed to the ground. "Mnrg," Yin mumbled. "Yang, we're out of shape." Yang didn't even have the breath to respond. For a few moments, the only sounds were raindrops gently pattering against the roads, buildings, and objects.

"So..." Barf Bag inhaled deeply. "What do we do, now that we've lost her? Wait." She paused. "Are we lost?"

TB shook his head. "We'll be fine. When I say this place is like a maze, I just mean it's huge, and a lot of buildings look alike. But I'm remembering more and more of these streets the longer we spend here. Plus-" He pointed northwards, where an infinitely tall tower was stretching into the night sky. "-the summit of Yoyle Mountain is a really good landmark to help navigate, since it's directly north of the city."

"Like a compass needle," noted Test Tube.

Cheesy and Lollipop each raised a hand. "I vote we start calling it the Compass Needy," the two of them spoke in unison. "Jinx! Double jinx! Triple j-"

"Enough jinxing!!" Coiny interrupted loudly. "I don't always believe in that stuff, but after tonight..." He shuddered. "I'm starting to think this place really is cursed."

Test Tube opened her mouth to lecture them all about jinxing not being real, remembered what happened the last time she'd said that, and snapped it shut again.

From underneath a nearby building's awning, Pie raised a finger. "Since we're still figuring everything out, I suggest we spend a few minutes to find some umbrellas. The rain has been light all day, but I'm starting to feel pretty soggy now."

"I would also really like an umbrella," Lollipop commented, removing her scarf to wring out the rainwater. Cheesy, Barf Bag, and Test Tube nodded in agreement.

Coiny tapped his chin. "Well, I know that the Nice Business building has a trunk full of umbrellas by its front door. Pencil, that's close by, right?"

"Should be." Pencil looked at the Compass Needy, then checked their surroundings. "Yup," she confirmed. "We were backtracking while running, so it should only be about five minutes away."

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"OH, IT'S ONLY FIVE MINUTES AWAY!" Yang mocked in a falsetto voice as he entered the Nice Business building. "THAT TOOK US FIFTEEN MINUTES!"

"Oh, come on, Yin-Yang. At least I got the direction right," Pencil shot back.

"Still ten extra minutes in the rain," muttered Lollipop. She went right over to the middle of the room and turned on the space heater sitting there, immediately relaxing some. "Ah... that's better. Glad this old thing still works."

The others filed in one by one and began to sit by the heater. "That is a lot better," Barf Bag agreed. "I can feel myself drying already."

Test Tube coughed. "I'm satisfied to be out of the weather and all, but while we rest, shouldn't we discuss how to find Golf Ball?"

"How, though?" Yin wondered. "BY SEARCHING THE WHOLE CITY! Yang, you saw the size of this place from the hilltop — it's ginormous!"

"Yin's right," Pencil agreed sadly. "There's no way we can look through this entire place with how many buildings there are. The sheer amount of roads alone would be a daunting task, but add in a massive number of buildings — any of which she could hide in — and it makes it basically impossible."